Boat



Sept. 14,1937.

.1. v. HUNT BOAT Filed Oct. 16, 1 936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS qfziizes k J. V. HUNT Sept. 14, 1937.

BOAT

Filed Oct. 16, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORN EIs WITNESS Patented Sept. 14, 1937 UNITED srrss PATENT osriss BOAT James Vernon Hunt, Washington, 1). 0.

Application October 16, 1936, Serial No. 106,032

3 Claims.

This invention relates to vehicles which by minor alterations may be adapted for use on land or water, the present showing being for water use and has for the primary object the provision of a device of this character whereby air and water resistance will be reduced to a minimum, requiring a minimum amount of power for its propulsion and may be easily steered and caused to turn within a limited or small size space or distance and to shift its center of gravity in the direction of the turn being made thereby materially increasing the safety of the vehicle.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

I For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a vehicle constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan View illustrating the connection of one of the steering cables to the turning member of one of the sets of pontoons.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the means of mounting the pontoons to the annular track carried by the chassis.

Figure 7a is a diagrammatical view illustrating the wiring diagram for the electric motors.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatical View showing the steering cables for the pontoons.

Figure 9 is a diagrammatical view showing the cables for tilting the body of the vehicle to either side of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

Figure 10 is a detail sectional view illustrating a clutch.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral l indicates a chassis having secured thereto adjacent each end annular tracks 2 each of channel iron construction and equipped with a series of anti-friction rollers 3 to be engaged by annular members 4 carried by said tracks and which are free to rotate relative thereto. Secured to the annular members 4 are pontoons 5. The pontoons are arranged in pairs at the fore and aft ends of the chassis; 1 Electric motors l are mountedon the chassis and have a common power shaft 3 to which is secured a worm 9 meshing with a worm gear ill secured to a power shaft H. The power shaft II is journaled on the chassis l. Grooved pulleys l2 and ii are secured to the drive shaft II and trained over said pulleys are endless elements l4' and I5. Formed integrally with the annular members 4 of the pontoons are grooved pulleys 16. The endless element 14 is. trained over the pulley it of the aft pontoons while the endless element I5 is trained over the pulley I6 of the forward pontoons. The runs of the endless element l4 cross each other.

One of the electric motors l operates in a right hand-direction and the other electric motor operates in a. left hand direction.

Connected to the electric motors is an electric circuit l1 including an electrical source l8 and a control switch it. The switch l9 acts to close the circuit when in one position to one of the motors and to break the circuit to the other motor and vice. versa when placed in its other position. The switch 59 has a circuit breaking position whereby the circuits to both motors may be broken. Closing the switch to one of the motors will cause the pontoons to be turned in a direction for steering the vehicle to the right and when the circuit is closed to the other motor said pontoons will be turned in an opposite direction and for steering the vehicle to the left. By referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that the front and aft pontoons swing in opposite directions so that a comparatively short turn may be made.

Arcuately curved tracks 20 are mounted on the chassis I and arranged transversely thereof and each is equipped with anti-friction rollers 2| engaged by body elements 22 curved similarly to the curvature of the tracks. The body elements carry a body 23 preferably of cigar-shape and has located in its forward end an engine (not shown) for driving a propeller 24 located at the forward end of the body. The propeller 24 acts against the air for the purpose of drawing the body forwardly. However, if desired, the body may be equipped with a propeller at the rear end thereof for acting on the water.

The body being mounted on the tracks 2|] is capable of shifting to either side of the longitudinal axis of the chassis. The purpose of shifting the body is to counteract centrifugal forces tending to turn the vehicle over when traveling on a curve. It is desired that the body be shifted in the direction of the inside of a turn.

the shaft 26 and meshes with'a worm 30 journaled on the drive shaft ll. The worm 30 has a clutch element 3| and splined on the shaft l is'a clutch element 32 controlled by an electromagnet 33. The electro-magnet 33 is connected in the electric circuit l1 and is controlled by. a switch 34. When the electro-magnet 33 is energized it engages the clutch elements 3| and 32 so as to connect the worm 30 to the shaft II and in that way shift the body of the vehicle laterally of its longitudinal axis during the turning of the pontoons. It isato be understood that the steering of the pontoons and the tilting of the body is brought about by the electric motors 1. However, the tilting of the body can be discontinued while the turning of the pontoons is continued by-the manipulation of the switch 34.

A water vehicle constructed in accordancewith the foregoing is capable of being easily steered and will reduce Water and wind resistance to a minimum and may obtain high rates of speed with safety increased to a maximum due to the shifting ofthe body laterally of the longitudinal axis of the chassis when traveling upon a turn. While I have shown and described this invention as being especially adaptable to water vehicles, through .a simple rearrangement of parts, the pontoons may be substituted by land wheels whereby the device may be made to travel on land with substantially the same advantages as obtained when traveling on water. 7

Having described the invention, .1 claim:

1. A vehicle comprising a chassis, groups of fore and aft pontoons mounted on said chassis for turning to the right or left, a drive shaft csrried by the chassis, electrical power means connected to said shaft and capable of operating ineither direction, endless elements connected to said pontoons and to said drive shaft whereby the groups of pontoons are caused to turn in opposite'directions, body tracks mounted on the chassis, a body slidably supported by said body tracks and capable of shifting laterally of the 7 longitudinal axis of the chassis in either direction, and means driven by said drive shaft for shifting the body in either direction.

2. A vehicle comprising a chassis, groups of fore and aft pontoons mounted on said chassis for turning to the right or left, a drive shaft carried by the chassis, electrical power means connected to said shaft and capable of operating in either direction, endless elements connected to said pontoons and to said drive shaft whereby the groups of pontoons are caused to turn in opposite directions, body tracks mounted on the chassis, a body slidably supported by said body tracks and capable of shifting laterally of the longitudinal axis of the chassis in either direction, and means driven by said shaft for shifting the body in either direction and including a clutch for connecting and disconnecting said lastmentioned means with the drive shaft.

3. A vehicle comprising a chassis, groups of pontoons supporting said chassis and capable of turning about a vertical axis, power means ,carried by said chassis, means for connecting said power means to the pontoons for the steering of the latter, a substantially cigar-shaped body mounted on the chassis and capable of shifting laterally of the longitudinal axis of the chassis 'in either. direction, means connected to the body and driven by said power means for shifting the body in either direction and including a. clutch for connecting and disconnecting said last-named means to said power means, and a power means including a propeller carriedby said body;

JAMES VERNON 

